Description

Location: Amman, Jordan

Position Status: Full-time, Regular, National

Salary Level: National Jordan salary scale

Risk Level:     ☐ Level 3       ☐Level 2         ☐Level 1 

(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.  

Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.

Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data) 

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps implements a diverse portfolio of humanitarian and development programming across the Middle East in response to acute crises and protracted vulnerabilities. Under a newly established Multi-Country Office (MCO) structure, Mercy Corps oversees programming across Syria, Jordan, and Yemen, with enhanced regional coordination, efficiency, and strategic alignment. 

This role supports the implementation of Mercy Corps’ global ten-year strategy, Pathway to Possibility, which focuses on achieving resilient, inclusive, and sustainable outcomes across food security, water security, economic opportunity, and peace and good governance. The strategy is grounded in organizational commitments to being climate-smart, evidence-driven, locally led, innovative, and safe, diverse, and inclusive.

General Position Summary

The Senior Business Development and Grants Manager leads and directly manages all business development, pre-positioning, and grants functions across the MCO portfolio covering Syria, Jordan, and Yemen. 

Based in Amman, the role leads multi-country resource mobilization efforts, ensuring high-quality donor engagement, competitive proposal development, and effective grants lifecycle management. The position has direct line management responsibility for a Reporting Officer and provides strong leadership, guidance, and coordination to country-level teams engaged in program development and donor compliance. 

The role reports to the MCO Portfolio Director and works in close collaboration with Country Managers, Program Teams, Regional Award Management, Business Development and Technical teams.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND COORDINATION

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for program development, business development, and grants management across Syria, Jordan, and Yemen, in line with Mercy Corps’ Program Management at Mercy Corps (PM@MC) standards and Pathway to Possibility strategic objectives.

• Directly manage, mentor, and support the Reporting Officer, ensuring clear objectives, regular performance management, coaching, and professional development.

• Strengthen harmonization, consistency, and quality of program development and grants practices across Syria, Jordan, and Yemen.

PRE-POSITIONING, DONOR ENGAGEMENT, AND EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• Lead and oversee strategic pre-positioning efforts across the MCO, ensuring alignment with country strategies, regional priorities, and Mercy Corps’ global outcomes framework.

• Systematically map, track, and analyze donor priorities, funding trends, and competitive intelligence across sectors and geographies.

• Maintain and strengthen relationships with a diverse range of donors, including traditional institutional donors, private donors, foundations, and emerging financing partners, in coordination with regional and HQ teams.

• Demonstrate willingness to expand knowledge and expertise related to development finance and non-traditional funding mechanisms in support of diversified resource mobilization.

• Proactively support the MCO Portfolio Director and Country Managers in external representation, including preparation for and participation in donor meetings, partner engagements, and other stakeholder forums.

• Guide the development of unsolicited concepts and donor engagement materials in partnership with the MCO Portfolio Director, Country Managers, regional Business Development teams, and HQ counterparts.

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

• Oversee and lead go/no-go decision-making processes for new funding opportunities across the MCO portfolio.

• Provide strategic and technical leadership to ensure the development of high-quality, competitive concept notes and proposals.

• Ensure the systematic use of evidence-based products, learning, and analysis to inform program design and value propositions in close collaboration with MCO and country staff as appropriate.

• Coordinate multi-country, cross-border and cross-functional proposal development processes involving Programs, Finance, Operations, Technical Advisors, Evidence & Learning teams, and HQ.

• Ensure proposals are operationally feasible, risk-informed, and financially sound, with budgets that accurately reflect the cost of doing business and donor compliance requirements.

• Lead or support proposal revisions, negotiations, and program modifications in response to donor feedback or contextual changes.

• Promote learning and continuous improvement through after-action reviews and documentation of proposal development lessons learned.

GRANTS OVERSIGHT, REPORTING, AND COMPLIANCE

• Provide strategic oversight of grants management systems and processes to ensure compliance with donor regulations, Mercy Corps policies, and PM@MC minimum standards.

• Ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality donor reporting across the Syria, Jordan, and Yemen portfolio, supporting program teams and the Reporting Officer to meet contractual obligations.

• Oversee reporting trackers, internal review workflows, and coordination with HQ, regional teams, and donors, with day-to-day support from the Reporting Officer.

• Support program teams in responding to donor information requests, audits, and amendments.

• Ensure effective grant kick-off, review, and close-out processes are conducted and documented in line with Mercy Corps requirements.

PROGRAM LEARNING, EVIDENCE, AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

• Champion the integration of learning, evidence, and adaptive management into program development and grants processes.

• Work closely with the MCO program and Evidence & Learning staff to ensure evidence, research findings, evaluations, and learning products are strategically leveraged to strengthen donor engagement and proposal quality.

• Promote consistent use of tools, templates, and systems across Syria, Jordan, and Yemen to strengthen institutional knowledge and continuity.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.

• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.

• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options. 

Organizational Learning

• Dedicate at least 5% of time to learning activities that strengthen Mercy Corps’ effectiveness and support professional growth.

• Foster a culture of learning, reflection, and continuous improvement within the business development and grants function.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Direct line management of the Reporting Officer. 

Accountability

Reports Directly To: MCO Portfolio Director

Works Closely With: Country Managers, Program and Project Managers, Finance and Operations Teams, Regional Award Management Team, Regional Business Development Advisors, Technical and Evidence & Learning Teams, and HQ counterparts.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field required; Master’s degree in International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, or a related field preferred.

• Minimum of 5-6 years of progressive experience in business development, grants management, proposal development, and donor compliance.

• Demonstrated leadership and people management experience, preferably in multi-country or matrixed structures.

• Strong familiarity with institutional donors (e.g., ECHO, FCDO, EU, SDC, GIZ,), private donors, and donor compliance requirements.

• Knowledge or prior experience with DFIs and in development finance is a strong advantage.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Proven ability to manage complex processes, meet deadlines, and coordinate across diverse teams.

• Strong contextual knowledge of the Middle East region preferred.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will be a proactive leader with strong judgment, excellent organizational skills, and a passion for high-quality humanitarian and development programming. They will be comfortable operating in complex, fast-changing environments and able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on support. Strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and commitment to accountability and learning are essential.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Amman, Jordan, with travel as required to Syria and Yemen (security permitting). Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs, and Mercy Corps policies at all times.

 Team Engagement and Effectiveness 

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law. 

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme . We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies  and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).